Oil-wel heater



DE KAISER ET AL.

OIL WELL HEATER Filed Feb. 8,

Wma ad ITNESSES:

resented-oci. i,y ieee.

sustained heat.`

fluids, such as paraiiine.

- lltgtt ern-Watt mana.

Application iled February 8, 19M. Serial No. @3,48%

To all whom t may conoem.

'Be it knownf' that We, ISAAC Dn KAISER and ARTHUR G. Poroxn, citizensot' the United States, and residents of W'ilkins# burg and Pittsburgh,res ectively, in the county of Allegheny and tate of Pennsyh venia, haveinvented a new and useful linprovement in Oil-Well Heaters, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to heating devices for subterranean Wells andparticularly tol devices for treating crudeoil Wells to increasetheiryield. l

Une object of 'our invention is to provide a'device of the aboveindicated character that shall effectively support combustion in asubterraneanwell.

Another object of our invention is to provide 'a heater that shallconstitute a selfcontained heat-generating and heat-giving unit that maybe lowered into a subterranean Well at the end of a cable an'd requireno other connections extending to the Well mouth. l y

Another object of our invention is to provide a subterranean Well heaterthat shall utilize continuously supplied fuel to a substantially maximum.degree ot' efficiency.-

A further object of our invention is to provide a subterranean Wellheater that shall be simple and durable in construction, convenienttofhandle and economical to manufacture and maintain.

In subterranean Wells, such as those containin(y gas andother elementsand, par ticular v, those containing crude oil, it is desirable toperiodically promote the circulation of the fluid in the Well. v@ilWells, in particular', become clogged or sluggish by the accumulation ofheavy constituent Underthe latter conditions, the, Well yield falls to avery low value.

By heating a clogged well, the heavy constituents may be .rendered moreliquid in form, which enablesI theni to be pumped from the Well andreleases the lighter oils or elements that have been held back.

' Heretofore, the heating of a', subterranean well has usually *been avery undesirable op'- eration, because of the diculty of access to the-Well and of providing economical cally-sealed against thereto, from theWell, and against the es-A cape of gasand liame to the Well. Further,

One method of heating a subterranean Well is to lower bodies of iron,that have been previously heated, into the well. This method is veryineiiicient and tedious, by reason of the small quantities of heat thatmay be, thus, transported .and because of rapid radiation.v y i Attemptshave beenl made toincrease the ilow et' oil Wells icy/"the usel ofni-tro-glyc crine but, since lit is necessary to sustain a relativelyhigh temperature long period of time, this method has not been veryeffective. lt is, further, very ex.: pensive and dangerous.

- Heating by steam has'acconipliehed seine goed results but at arelatively great cost in time, labor and material, since itA mustA beaccomplished by means of pipes extend ing to the pay sand of a Well thatmay be several thousand feet deep.

Heat treating of subterraneanv Wells b electricity has been accomplishedto a higii degree ot' perfection, in consideration of the limitationsimposed by its use. Sonnev of these limitations are the lack ofavailable power circuits, the inaccessibility of the wells to betreated, and the expense of pm vidingpernianent or portable power units.

In practicing our invention, we provide a subterranean Well heater thatrelatively sinall self-containing heat-genenl ating and heat-giving unitthat is adapted for lowering into Wells and through Well y comprises a Ii .l'he entire device, with pressure and control valves and otherfeatures, is hermetithe ingress of liquid the device is adapted tosupport combustion i in its isolated position in a well that is void ofair, may be readily handled and lowered into a, well, at the end ofacable or sand line. Without any other connections, such. as gas pipesor electrical conductors, and may be conveniently transported instandard Avehicles. The device may he readily-separated into two orthree parts so that wellsothe ice lis a diagrammatic representation otan oil fili Well. of usual character in which a heater embodying` ourinvention is submerged.,

Fig. 2 is a broken enlarged view, partially in elevation and partiallyin section, of the heater shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a furtherenlarged fragmentary sectional view of the heater casing as shown inFigs. 1 and 2, With a modified form of venting or heat-retarding meansfor the upper endthereoitand a modified torch ora burner chamber.

lteerringto Fig. 1, a subterranean cham ber 1, formed in i stratum 2 ofoil-bearing sand, is filled with a body ot crude oil l Whichit isdesired to remove by means of an oil pump of usual construction (notshown), Aecumulations ol: paraliine, asphalt and other-heavyhydro-carbone seriously inter` tere with the-production of oil from theWell, by clogging the interstices in the oilbearing stratum and byfilling or partly filling the perforations in the pump barrel. Further,the main body of oil produced by the well may be sufficiently viscous tocause diiiculty in its removal by the pump.

'llo facilitate the removal of the oil from the vvell, a heating device5, constructed in accordance with our invention and to ybe hereinafterdescribed, is lowered into the Well at the end of a cable or sand line6.

lhe heat from the device 5 affects the oil l in such mani'ierl as .topermit the latter to be readily pumped from the well and, also toenhance the flow of oil into the chamber l from the oil bearing sands 2,

The heating device 5 preferably comprises sections 7 and 8 ot metalltubing that are joined to each other by a union 9, and are providedWitli'upper and lower end members l1 and 12, that may be threaded, orotherwise suitably secured, thereto, to complete a substantially totallyenclosed casing. A gas-escape tube 14, similarly secured to the upperend member 11, is of'sul'licient length to extend above the Water levelof a Well and'is provided, at its upper end, with a terminal device 15.The latter comprises a nut or head member 16 that is threaded, orotherwise secured, to the tube 14 and is embraced by a hood or domemember 18.

ilhe domemember may be held in position by an eye bolt or terminalmember 19 that extends into the nut 16 and is attached to the cable t3.Perforations 2l, in the upper end ot the tube-14, permitV the escape ofcombusted gases to the dome member 18 that is; provided withperforations 22, at its lower portion, to permit the gases "o escape'remesa to the upper part of the Well and to the cute air. The endmembers l1 and l2 of the heater 5, the union 9 and the dome 19aretapered or rounded to avoid the end of the Well casing or otherobstructions in the Well shaft to, thus, permit the free travel of theheater to and from the chamber l..`

The upper portion of the tubing il com. stituting the active heat-givingpcittoa the heater 8, is lined with a bir'tuhe preferably of refractoryheat-intensifying material5 such as lire clay or other suitablematerial, and contains a body 26 of' similar material, that is supportedby a perfor j"ed refractory, or other incombusti ble, partition ce 27.The partition 27 may be a separate .member oi' similar material orconstitute an integral portion of a heat insulatingA tube that serves,similarly to the tube 25, to protect a portion ol." the tube 'Y andsurrounds e5 regi-on in the latter that "functions as corn.- bustionchamber 29. As shown in Fig. cylindrical heat-insulating block 30 isdisposed below the combustion chamber 29 and is supported on an inwardlyprojecting transverse annular dange 31 on the union 9.

ri torch or burner 32, similar to that em ployed in usual and Well knownwelding; outfits and comprising a head 33, a mixer Se and stop cocks orvalves 35 and 36, extends through an opening 37 in the block 3l?, that aflame 38 may impinge against the partition 27 and ascend through aportion of the heat-'intensifying material burner 32 is supported by theupper olf a loc pair of gas tanks or cylinders') and All 3sat arearranged in base-tobase'- relation the section of tubing 8, with a;felt, or other yieldable shock-absorbing, pad el therebetween. The tanks39 and ll() v are supporte on a saddle supporting member l2 disposed atthe lower end of the tubing 8. The tank 39 is connected to the burner 32through a pressure regulating device 111.3 and the valve 36. 'lhe tankl0 is connected te the burner through a similar pressure regulatingdevice fle, a pipe l5 and the valve 35. The B9 and e0 are, preferably,of slightly less diameter than the interior diameter olf t tube 8 toadmit the pipe l5 that may ne cylindrical or flat tubing, formed to p.the tanks to be of maximum diameterL arrangement of parts is such thatJby um screwing;r the section of 'tubing 8 from the union 9, the burner32 and the tanks 39 an@ 40 may readily be removed for inspect andreplacement. One of the tanks 39 4U may contain oxygen or compressed andthe other acetylene, calorene, gasel, clgas, carbo-hydrogen or any othercombusti ble fluid.

`For facility in handling; and shipping, the device may be separatedinto several easily-assembled units. @ne such unit mcy comprise the tube14 and the terminal device 'mits the upper und Leidens 15, uttscbed toeuch other but separated from the remainder of the heater. Another unitmuy comprise the upper tube 7 of the heater 5, the union 9, the topmember .ll und the other contents of the tube 7, exccptmu the burner Astill further unit, or co lection of units, muy comprise the lower tube8, the saddle and the lower end member l2, either with the burner 32 undthe tanks m end 4l() in the 'tube 8 or seperate therefrom ln operation,essuming the parte to lieve been transported to e Well, the firstoperotion is, preferably, to et-tech the tube 'il to tbe upper endmember li. Fresh tanks 39 und di) of oxygen sud acetylene, or of otherelements above mentioned, muy be secured in operative relation to theburner and to its accessory vulves end pressure regulators.

dit e. locution suiliciently removed 'from the Well inoutb. to evoidigniting gases from the well, the deine 32 muy be sterted, end ndiustedby Ineens of the vulves and 36 and the pressure regulators 43 and 44.The tanins ere then placed in the tube 8, the burner inserted throughtbe'opening 3?, in the bloclr 3G, und tbe tubes and il secured together,by ineens of ille union 9; The device muy tben be raised, by theceblethat extends e -:fulley wheel. et the iop of the Well derriclr, undquickly lowered into the well. An obvious `eltennetive arrangement ofports, which would require only slightly diierent manipulation, is tolieve the pipe e5, leading from the lower itu-nl: l0 to the burner 32,permanently mounted in the tube 8, as by spot Weldin et its ends or byother suitable means. 'ibis construction renders it necessary to removethe lower end member 12 toedjust the pressure regulator 44 und' toconnect the letter to the pipe l5` but. has the edvcntuge of permittingthe tanks S9 end te be placed in tbe tube 8 before igniting the burner32. i

Crude oil Wells are usually provided with a pocket or'cbember 46 forseating un unclior to steedy the 'pump und it is in this pocket thet thelower nubes/ted` portion of the bee-ter 5 is pleced. the few wells thatmuy not lieve sucb, u pocket, it is e compare t.vely simple operation tolower e drill und to drill tbe few feet necessary to properly position4the heater. rliis arrangement peractive heating portion ofthe heater 5to be positioned in the cheniber l at the oil bearing stratum. Q Ait/theupper end of lthe tube 7, e beatinsuleting member 4?', having a. taperedopening 48, is positioned in the member ll to 'protect the latter und todirect the gases of combustion toward the tube 14. As shown in Fig. 2, acopper mesh screen 49 may be provided, between the member e7 and therefractory materiel 26, to prevent the pussagc of flame into tbe tubele.

52, may be provided 'to cool disposed entirely As shown in 3, in placeof the screen 4:9, u series off be e plates 59, having offset openings5l. and reliructoryepucing rings the gases, be fore they enter the tubele.

Primarily, our invention consists in the provision of e self-contained,lient-givingl und beet-generating unit of simple construe tion, reedytransportution and uienipulutiouA and of eiective operotioru'thet doesnot injure 4the Well or casing und requires no source of energy shoveground. lu .this aspect, our invention, therefore, oontemw plates ellsimilar self-conteined units, such as may be constructed to employStorace betteries, reactive gases, liquids end solids and, also,comprehends obvious changes, such as the elimination of one of thetanksnnd providing the other with oxygen. or compressed uir for burninga combustible nluterial, such es charcoal. In the letter case, nomateriel change in the construction of our device, as shown, is'necessary. A The chercoel may be substituted inthe place of the material26 and u single oxygen or conipressed air tunic placed in the tube 8 undconnected to the burner 32, through one of the velves and 36 or to asimilar burner having; only one such vulve.

In the form of our invention, in which charcoal or other combustibleash-forming material is used, the block 30 muy be omitted and theconstruction shown et en intermedi ete portion of Fig. 3 employed. inthis construction, the burner 32 is protected by u lieutfinsulctingtube-53 having ev tapered upper end 54 to deflect ashes that may siftthrougliftiie partition 27, adjacent to the burner into an ash-receivingchamber 55, tbe space included by which is partially-'occupied by theblock 30, in the forni of our invention shown in Fig. 2. The tubeI 53muy con# stit'ute e. Aportion of a discodul member 56 that is supportedon the flange 3l of the union 9.. Also, in this form, tbe tube-28 muy beconstructed longer, to constitute e lining for Athe chambers 29 und 55.

TWhile We have shown and described perticuler forms of our invention,changes muy be ei'ected therein, without departing rom the spirit theappended claims.

Vile claim es our invention:

l. A subterranean Well heater unit for disposition in swell, comprisinge beet-con` vducting element for heating the Well by heat radiationtherefrom only and ineens to be in the well for heating seid element undgenerating e continuously renewed supply of seid heet for epredetermined period of time. I

2. A subterranean well-heating device comprising an enclosed vesselhaving-ineens for disposing ofcoinbustion Gases generated i therein, undmea-ns forsupplying and suplll und scope thereof, es set forth in if; Ymienne porting combustion entirely Within the vessel, the heat of saidcombustion being primarily for conduction to the Well through closedWalls oit seid container.

3. subterranean Well heater unit for dispositionv in n, Well, comprisingn container embodying closed Wells through which snbstantially all ofthe heat of the heater is transmitted to the Well, heating means foreffecting; seid heat disposed in sind container and supply means forseid heating means to be entirely disposed in the Well.

4, A subterranean Well heater unit 'for disposition in 'e well,comprising e container embodying closed Walls through which sul)-stentinlly all of the heat of the heater is transmitted to the well andineens to he entirely disposed in the Well for causing said heet in saidcontainer and generating a oontinuonsly renewed supply o'snid-heator apredetermined period of time. o

5. A subterranean Well heater unit for disposition in :r-Wellcomprisingl it container embodying closed Wells through which suh--stointially all of the heet of the heater is transmitted to the Welt, oges burner in the containerr for initiating said heat, and a, source ofges supply tor seid burner to be yentirely disposed in the Well.

'6. A vheating device comprising en eilclosed `vessel having outletmeans for cornhustion gases only and constituting the only exception tototni enclosure, and means for supplying and support-ing combustion entirely within Ythe Vessel.

7. A subterranean Well'heater comprising s container, gaseseepe meanstherefor, e

body of materiel to loe hested in the conteiner, the heet from saidmaterial to be transmitted to the well' through closed wells of thecontainer, s torch .or burner for heee.

ing seid material, end s gasstorage Acheminer connected to said burner.

8. A subterranesn Well heating device' comprising e tubular container,gas-escape ineens therefor, e body of material to be heated in thecontainer, the heat from seid burner, seid tanks constituting e thedeviceitor lowering; into n wel?.

l0. A subterranean Well hesting devise omprising e container 'forhosting the through its closed Wells, ges-escape menne therefor, e torchor burner supporting flame in the container, and e gem-storage chambertherein connected to seid burner,

ll. A snhterrsneangyell heater comprising s, container, ges-escapeIneens therefor, e body of hesbgiving materiali disposed in thecontainer, s burner for projeeting e flame against seid materiel, eplurality of Hind-containing 'tanks reinovshly disposed in seidcontainer, the fluid of said oeopernting to form flame st seid burner,end means for connecting and *for controlling 'the pressure and flow osaid 'iuids to seid burner. Y

l2. snhterrstnenn Well hentai comprising; e container, gasescepe meanstherefor, e proteetiye lining iior e portion of the oontainer, e. .bodyof rersctorf motorini dis-- posed in the container, e, ges-liurnerworheating seid refractory materiel., n jinlnrnliity of gas tanks removablydisposed in the container, and means oreonneoting and controlling thepressure and flow or from said tanks to seid burner. i

In testimony whereof, We here hereunto subscribed our names this .7thdey of iielA ruary, i921.

leien/fi@ DE KASER. WUR' G. EFUPCHE,

